Simple stuff! If someone “likes” or “retweets” your postings on Facebook, Twitter, or any social media outlet, RETURN the FAVOR.

RECIPROCATE! It works. I wrote this post in 2011 and since then it has been one of the most shared articles from my blog. Hope you enjoy, and will leave a comment below. Is this helpful to you?

What makes you feel good? For most of us just being acknowledged for something we have done does the trick. When someone mentions me or posts one of my articles, it warms me up. One little mention lets me know I’m not just “spittin’ in the wind” with social media.

What’s the easiest way to thank someone? Reciprocate!

Thanks for visiting…

On Facebook or Twitter it’s easy to thank someone. Post an update and use the “@” symbol in front of their name. That becomes a link to their profile and (on Facebook) shows up on their wall or (on Twitter) shows up in their “mentions”. As soon as that person checks in with these services they will likely see that you have mentioned them or gave them credit for a compelling post.>>>READ On to see how I do it and who is on my Top 15 “Reciprocators” List>>Guess What?
They like it! It makes them feel good and they will often reciprocate, meaning they are likely to mention you in a post or a tweet. The more times this happens, the more other people will be drawn to your posts, growing your social media influence.

How I Do It

On Twitter, I set up a list that I call “Kind RT”. Whenever I see that someone has “retweeted” (RT) one of my posts, I add them to the list. Then, each time I am looking for something new to tweet, I go to that list and “retweet” something from someone listed there. I make sure to mention them (again with the “@” symbol in front of their user name).

On Facebook, I pay attention anytime someone posts one of my blog links to their wall, or mentions me in an update. Then, at the very least, I click the “like” button under the post that mentions me. I also look for something else that person has posted that I find interesting and re-post it to my personal profile or The Social Freelancer ™ page or (music related) to my band’s page – Trace Relations ™ on Facebook.
Again, I mention that person in the new post, they see it and it makes them feel good.

And the Beat Goes On
Usually when I reciprocate in this manner, I get more followers and more people reciprocate by posting my links. It doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient and consistent with this and slowly you will see your influence grow.

My Top 15 Twitter Reciprocators
I just made up a word – Reciprocators!… haha – I am so grateful to these fine people on Twitter who retweet my posts or mention me often, I want you to know about them. Again, by doing this, I’ll bet it makes them feel good. That’s just human nature. So please follow and pay attention to these individuals on Twitter and Facebook. They rock my world and let me know I am not just wasting my time.

Trace says "thanks for tuning in!"

And They Are… drum roll please…
(alphabetical order, click each one to view their Twitter profiles)

One more point – I Don’t “Know” Them
Absolutely true! I have never met in person any of the people mentioned above. This is not a list of my personal friends. It’s a list of people I have met through Twitter and now feel like I “know.” Many of them have also connected with me on Facebook.
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Trace Ready “The Social Freelancer”

Trace Ready is a Director of Photography, Writer, Producer and Vocalist based in Dallas, Texas. His band Trace Relations has released their debut studio CD “Prosperity Street”Connect with Trace: TraceProductions.com

Like this? Help Trace keep his wheels on the road for the photo series “Vanishing Texas” and continue posting to this blog while juggling “the freelance life.” – HERE:

21 Responses to “Reciprocate! A Simple Concept for Social Media”

I really appreciate your “teaching” approach to blogging and social media. It’s such a great, connecting, and (dare I say) social way of getting the word out while supporting your contacts. Thanks for showing us a creative way of doing all of us a favor.

We enjoy your posts! They are timely, well-written, and delineate specific actions folks can take to improve their on-line social experience. Your originality speaks volumes, Tracy. Thanks and keep ’em coming!

Thanks very much Denisa. I really appreciate the feedback. I am starting to also speak to groups about social media for indie artists, freelancers, small business. Let me know if you can suggest a group that might be interested… cheers, T

[…] 2. Reciprocate! A Simple Concept for Social Media Why? Be a fan, build your fanbasePeople like to be mentioned, referred to or quoted online. It makes us all feel good just as its gratifying to see your name in the paper or having a local TV crew come to interview about your business. I call it reciprocation. In this post I talk about how important it is to mention people and give acknowledgement to others, in a classy way. I also listed my top “reciprocators” and included links to their twitter profiles. They, in turn, reciprocated by posting a link to the story on Twitter, Facebook and other networks. It was all a cycle; a post about mentioning others, that was in turn shared and tweeted multiple times. So cool how that works! […]

Tracy Ready is truly an inspiration to me in building my social media network. His entrepreneurial creativity inspires me to reach for greatness in my quest to fulfill God’s purpose in & through my personal and professional endeavors!

[…] The idea of reciprocating is simple enough. If your friend gives you a like/retweet/comment/mention, you can give them one back. My friend Tracy Ready has a great post called “Reciprocate: a simple concept for social media&…. […]

Hi, Tracy. I’ve read your post. I get the idea. I imagine that if everyone did something like this, the leverage would be awesome.

I still maintain however, as I said in our Twitter dialogue, that the currency of reciprocity on Twitter is the basic RT. Everyone sees it, it’s immediate, and it doesn’t require a trip to my own website as a condition of reciprocation.